Robe BMFLs on Queensferry Crossing opening
- Details
The lighting scheme, which marked the opening of the 2,700m-wide crossing, was designed by event production company JMP Productions, specified and supplied by Edinburgh rental and production specialists Black Light. Their project manager Thomas Ramage worked closely with Jon Pugh from JMP and contacts from Speakeasy and Transport Scotland.
“Given the throw distance, we needed the sheer power, intensity and punch of the BMFL coupled with the precision focussing potential of the Wash Beam shutters so we could concentrate light exactly where it was needed with minimal spillage,” explained Thomas.
The 60 x BMFL WashBeams were positioned equidistantly along the central reservation of the Queensferry Crossing to shoot upwards and catch the towers and the intricate geometry of the cable stays.
A sequence of effects were programmed for the reveal moment – ranging from beams blasting over to the Forth Road bridge and original Forth Rail Bridge – which also traverse the water – to washes and texturing on the Queensferry Crossing cable work. Projections (from positions on the Forth Road Bridge and the shore at Queensferry) were beamed onto the northernmost of the three commanding 679 ft high towers and underdeck supports which included text and abstract images.
The system was programmed by John Rogers and controlled from a pair of Avolites Quartz consoles run via Titan Net and a dual redundancy fibre network utilising Luminex network switches which was installed for the hand-over event. For the build and the one evening programming session, this was located on the Forth Road Bridge running via a wireless link. From this position the team could clearly see the full effect of the lighting across the Queensferry Crossing.
(Jim Evans)
